Thursday, 25 May 2017

Joseph Plateau (Phenakiscope)

What is it and how does it work?
The phenakiscope was the first well known worldwide device that created an illusion of movement. It is regarded as one of the first forms of viewing media and it paved the way for the motion picture and film industry. The phenakiscope usually comes in the form of two circular cards them attached together with a gap on the top card which had a similar image to the top card. When spun the gap would blur the two images together creating an illusion of movement. The problem with the phenakiscope compared to its successors is that it can only be viewed by one person at a time.

Who invented it and when.
According to the Wikipedia page on Google, the phenakiscope was invented simultanesly around December 1832 by Belgian physicist Joseph Plateau and by the Austrian professor of practical geometry Simon Stampfer.

What was the difference between the two types?
The phenakiscope without the mirror worked on the idea that you place two discs on either side of a brass axis, this allegedly led to clearer images bit is slightly more unwieldy. Future inventions also led to one where two people could view it at the same time.



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